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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. board — a committee
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. sharp — clever
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. drill — army training
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. branch — a division
  20. board — to get on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com